Colonels get time off before facing Beavers

Nicholls State's Chris Bordelon (61) and Gerald Gruenig (55) pave the way for running back Jesse Turner (4) during Thursday's game against Southeastern Louisiana.

Chris Heller/Staff

Steve HolleySports Correspondent

Published: Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 1:01 a.m.

At the beginning of the season, the Nicholls State football team knew it was facing an uphill battle right out of the gate with a scheduled season-opening trip to Corvallis, Ore., for a game against Football Bowl Subdivsion and Pac-12 opponent Oregon State.

Given that the game, originally scheduled for Sept. 1, was pushed back to Dec. 1 as a result of Hurricane Isaac, Nicholls State coach Charlie Stubbs admits his team faces an even bigger challenge facing the Beavers now.

"There's nothing to hide now because they're going to have all the film on us," Stubbs s. "They're going to know who can play. I hate to say that, but (they know) who's real skilled, who you've got to defend, and who's a weak link. I know they're going to exploit it and we don't have anywhere to turn except to get better."

Nicholls ell to 1-9 this season following a 35-16 home loss to Southeastern Louisiana in the River Bell Rivalry on Thursday, while Oregon State has gotten off to a somewhat surprising 7-2 start. The Beavers have lost two games by a combined seven points and are ranked 15th in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Stubbs said there's no question Nicholls would have benefited more from playing an FBS opponent of Oregon State's caliber the first game of the season rather than the last.

"When this game was scheduled, we knew it was a major challenge, and it was going to be at the beginning of the season when there was nothing but optimism," he said. "You're playing these tough teams and you're optimistic. You know it's a mountain to climb, but you say OK. After the season we've had, with all the injuries and all the things going on, it's going to be a major challenge to patch up a game plan with the players healthy that we have available and to be more than competitive in the game."

Another challenge is the long layover between the Colonels' Southland Conference finale on Thursday and the trip to Corvallis — a 16-day stretch in between games.

Stubbs said the Colonels were scheduled to hold a team meeting on Friday, where coaches will distribute a workout sheet for players to following during their Thanksgiving break.

"We'll bring them back Sunday after Thanksgiving and have (another) team meeting, and then we'll just prepare for Oregon State," he said. "The coaches will get everything together and prepare for the game plan and all the materials. We're battered and bruised. It's just one of those years that are really rough because every time we take a couple of steps forward, all of a sudden we get knocked back."

Stubbs said he'd never experienced such a long break in between regular season games. But Stubbs was an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach at Alabama, UNLV and Tulsa many years before coming to Nicholls, so the extended rest may be something more comparable to an FBS team preparing for a bowl game.

In fact, some of the Nicholls players are comparing their season finale at Oregon State to exactly that: a bowl trip. Despite the difficulty of playing an FBS opponent, Nicholls players are excited about making the trip.

"It's going to be a great experience for us playing at Oregon State, a top team in the FBS," said Colonels running back/receiver Jesse Turner. "It's going to be a great opportunity and I'm excited for it. It kind of feels like a bowl game for us. It's great to play them at the end of the season now. At the end of the season, we always want to leave with a good note. Hopefully we play them pretty tough. We've still got some work to do. A lot of people's seasons are over and we're still playing."

Facing an FCS opponent, particularly one as competitive as Oregon State has been, will also provide Colonels players with a chance for some added exposure they otherwise may not have.

"We've got to come back and just fight like it's another week of football," Colonels linebacker Kerry Guidry said. "We've got one more week of football and we're fortunate for that. A lot of people can't say that. We've got to just come out strong. I think it will be a good atmosphere. They're a ranked team, so it will be good to go out and see how we match up against them."

Stubbs said he expects his players to be competitive for their biggest non-conference matchup of the season.

"Right now, they're down just like all of us are, but I'm finding out these kids are really resilient," he said. "I know us coaches have a hard time, but the kids do have a tendency to bounce back, and that's what I expect and hope. They'll be excited."

<p>At the beginning of the season, the Nicholls State football team knew it was facing an uphill battle right out of the gate with a scheduled season-opening trip to Corvallis, Ore., for a game against Football Bowl Subdivsion and Pac-12 opponent Oregon State.</p><p>Given that the game, originally scheduled for Sept. 1, was pushed back to Dec. 1 as a result of Hurricane Isaac, Nicholls State coach Charlie Stubbs admits his team faces an even bigger challenge facing the Beavers now. </p><p>"There's nothing to hide now because they're going to have all the film on us," Stubbs s. "They're going to know who can play. I hate to say that, but (they know) who's real skilled, who you've got to defend, and who's a weak link. I know they're going to exploit it and we don't have anywhere to turn except to get better." </p><p>Nicholls ell to 1-9 this season following a 35-16 home loss to Southeastern Louisiana in the River Bell Rivalry on Thursday, while Oregon State has gotten off to a somewhat surprising 7-2 start. The Beavers have lost two games by a combined seven points and are ranked 15th in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. </p><p>Stubbs said there's no question Nicholls would have benefited more from playing an FBS opponent of Oregon State's caliber the first game of the season rather than the last.</p><p>"When this game was scheduled, we knew it was a major challenge, and it was going to be at the beginning of the season when there was nothing but optimism," he said. "You're playing these tough teams and you're optimistic. You know it's a mountain to climb, but you say OK. After the season we've had, with all the injuries and all the things going on, it's going to be a major challenge to patch up a game plan with the players healthy that we have available and to be more than competitive in the game." </p><p>Another challenge is the long layover between the Colonels' Southland Conference finale on Thursday and the trip to Corvallis — a 16-day stretch in between games.</p><p>Stubbs said the Colonels were scheduled to hold a team meeting on Friday, where coaches will distribute a workout sheet for players to following during their Thanksgiving break.</p><p>"We'll bring them back Sunday after Thanksgiving and have (another) team meeting, and then we'll just prepare for Oregon State," he said. "The coaches will get everything together and prepare for the game plan and all the materials. We're battered and bruised. It's just one of those years that are really rough because every time we take a couple of steps forward, all of a sudden we get knocked back." </p><p>Stubbs said he'd never experienced such a long break in between regular season games. But Stubbs was an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach at Alabama, UNLV and Tulsa many years before coming to Nicholls, so the extended rest may be something more comparable to an FBS team preparing for a bowl game. </p><p>In fact, some of the Nicholls players are comparing their season finale at Oregon State to exactly that: a bowl trip. Despite the difficulty of playing an FBS opponent, Nicholls players are excited about making the trip. </p><p>"It's going to be a great experience for us playing at Oregon State, a top team in the FBS," said Colonels running back/receiver Jesse Turner. "It's going to be a great opportunity and I'm excited for it. It kind of feels like a bowl game for us. It's great to play them at the end of the season now. At the end of the season, we always want to leave with a good note. Hopefully we play them pretty tough. We've still got some work to do. A lot of people's seasons are over and we're still playing."</p><p>Facing an FCS opponent, particularly one as competitive as Oregon State has been, will also provide Colonels players with a chance for some added exposure they otherwise may not have. </p><p>"We've got to come back and just fight like it's another week of football," Colonels linebacker Kerry Guidry said. "We've got one more week of football and we're fortunate for that. A lot of people can't say that. We've got to just come out strong. I think it will be a good atmosphere. They're a ranked team, so it will be good to go out and see how we match up against them."</p><p>Stubbs said he expects his players to be competitive for their biggest non-conference matchup of the season. </p><p>"Right now, they're down just like all of us are, but I'm finding out these kids are really resilient," he said. "I know us coaches have a hard time, but the kids do have a tendency to bounce back, and that's what I expect and hope. They'll be excited."</p>